It’s a Wake-Up Call For All Canadian Landlords, including Newmarket Landlords – Good Newmarket Renters Are DEMANDING Safe, Legal Rental Apartments And Won’t Accept Anything Less For Their Hard-Earned Rent Money

We receive messages from all sorts of social media and thought this one was special. It’s an important message for Newmarket landlords and Newmarket tenants.

It was a from a post from a renter who is upset and actually did something about it. Her name is Robin. Now she wants to help other renters.

Put yourself in Robin’s position. She’s a single mom who just went through a very tough break-up. Her boyfriend was abusive and it was time for the relationship to end. She left. And she took her two kids with her. Her kids are young…very young.

This is her message to other renters out there who may face the same challenges she has recently.

Lots of Jobs In York Region

Robin is back to work. Daycare is expensive, but she’s doing her best to raise her two children the right way. She has a pretty good resume and found a good job in York region. But if she wants to advance up the career (and salary) ladder it’s going to require night courses and more certification.

It’s all been a struggle but with strength, optimism and belief in a good future she and her family are doing all right.

Renting in Newmarket, Ontario

After finding a job in York Region Robin had to find a place to live. She was looking for a place to stay long term. She wanted to find an area that was safe, had good access to her place of work, and also was an area that she felt comfortable in.

So she spent weeks looking around York Region, checking out places like Richmond Hill, Vaughan and Keswick.

She ended up choosing Newmarket, Ontario.

Why Does Newmarket Have So Many Good Tenants?

Robin said she found Newmarket really appealing upon her first visit. Travel to Newmarket is really easy with access from Highway 404, or Leslie St. or Bayview or Yonge Street or even the 400 Highway.

There are a lot of good schools and great shopping, all local. The town is safe and Newmarket is growing fast. Newmarket real estate is booming! This led her to believe once she gets more money saved she will buy her own house there.

Rents Are High In Newmarket (and so are cap rates)

Robin looked at several places on the market. She found Newmarket rental prices affordable and loved the easy access up Davis Drive to the GO station. She decided on a nice two bedroom basement apartment.

When she visited the property the landlord required a credit check and Robin was fine with it. After checking her references along with the credit check proving her financial responsibility the landlord agreed to rent to her. The landlord didn’t live upstairs so she was eager to introduce herself and her children to the upstairs people.

Smoke Issues

While Robin and her kids made their basement apartment cozy and friendly, there were some problems with the upstairs tenants. They were noisy but that could be dealt with.

The real problem was they smoked. A lot. And they left cigarette butts all over the place, including in the shared laundry room, sometimes on the carpet. This was a fire hazard as the carpet could catch fire.

She noticed that the her property didn’t seem very safe. The first thing she noticed was the entrance door to her apartment was flimsy and, God forbid, there ever was a fire she would have no time to get herself and her family out. There was also no exit for them from her unit.

The Newmarket Rental Apartment Was Not Legal

Robin called her landlord and the landlord said the place was safe and “not to worry about it.”

This was scary time as she realized she was living in a potentially very unsafe rental property. She was paying a lot of rent and her landlord didn’t even take her concerns seriously!

What Happened To Robin?

Here is what she wrote in her email:

“Fortunately I am a fighter and nothing is more important then the safety of my children! I did some studying and found out the best people to call for help. The landlord ended up being forced to make a lot of changes and make the property safe for us.

We are still here and our lives are moving forward. When you are struggling with new jobs, kids and life in general you need a good, SAFE place to call home. Please pass on the following information to help others who are in the same situation we were in not that long ago.”

1. Newmarket Renters Can Call The Newmarket Bylaw Department for Help

Renters call call the Newmarket Bylaw Department and they will quickly send an inspector to look at the property. They won’t even tell the landlord! If there are any problems the landlord will be notified to fix them or face very large fines and penalties.

All it takes is one one call to the Newmarket Bylaw Department at 905-895-5193.

You can also go to their website at Town of Newmarket Renters Rights Bylaw Department at:

Newmarket renters can also make sure their rental home is legal and safe by calling Central York Fire Services (which is the Newmarket fire department).

Just give them a call and they will send someone over to do an inspection. If the rental unit isn’t legal the landlord will be ordered to do the expensive and repairs or they could be heavily fined for not caring about the safety of their tenants.

People from other areas are unaware of the Newmarket system. More and more areas are following the process to create registered and legal and safe rentals such as in Barrie. This is great news for Barrie landlords.

Good Real Estate Agents Will Tell You How Important It Is To Buy A LEGAL RENTAL PROPERTY

Unfortunately some realtors aren’t giving the full story about the importance of owing legal basement apartments. When you buy a house check with the city or town where you are buying in. Find out about their rental policies.

And make sure your rental is safe, registered and legal to protect your tenants (and to protect yourself from fines and costly repairs and changes you will have to do while your tenants are there).

Newmarket Rental Property Advice – How You Can Become a Successful Newmarket Ontario Landlord

Every landlord wants to buy the right investment property. After all, if you buy in the right area with the right type of property you are well on your way for success.

Experienced and profitable landlords tell us that buying the right property in the right area is absolutely essential for both short term and especially long term success as a landlord. Even if you are the most fantastic landlord ever, if you are in the wrong place with the wrong rental property it will be tough to succeed. Find the right place and the right property and your odds of doing well multiply fast!

This is why Newmarket landlords have been experiencing ‘wild’ times over the past year (in a good way!) and why it’s a place you should look at when investing in residential rental properties.

Aren’t All Properties Appreciating?

The media keeps telling us Canadian property prices are going up, up and up. However, smart investors know that not all markets are created equal.

The reality is prices are not appreciating equally across Canada and some markets are even dropping.

Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver Area (GVA)

The Vancouver and Greater Vancouver areas have seen some terrific appreciation over the past five years. The problem for residential rental property investors is the cost of getting into the market.

With prices so high, it will cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a property. And with such high prices can you cover your mortgage? Can you cash-flow? Can tenants afford the higher rents you need to cover your costs?

Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

The Toronto and Greater Toronto Area is similar to the GVA. The market is hot, prices are rising and there is a large number of good tenants in the area. The problem is prices are very high and rental rates don’t make sense for many experienced investors.

Still, with the lower prices compared to the GVA and the larger number of good tenants it’s a very attractive area.

Where Should You Invest in the GTA?

As we mentioned above in many ways the entire area has a lot of potential. The key is to find a property that meets the needs successful landlords look for before investing our hard earned dollars.

One area that many landlords are investing is Newmarket rental property. Why? Because if you look at it the ‘needs’ we wrote about outmatch other areas in the GTA.

Yes, but as we said prices are rising fast and the best rental properties are getting bought up.

3. Where Are the Winning Properties?

You have to avoid certain areas such as the “dog patch Newmarket” and invest in winning areas such as near the South Lake Regional hospital.

4. How Are the Rents?

Rents are high. This is good news for landlords who want monthly rents to cover their mortgage or even create some cash-flow.

5. How is the Tenant Pool?

This is something experienced and successful landlords take extremely seriously. Of course you must always screen your tenants carefully with a credit check. Ontario Landlords Association Membership allows you to run premium credit checks at great rates! The good news is there are lots of qualified tenants in Newmarket, Ontario.

Investment Property Opportunities

Smart landlords are always looking for up and coming areas with great opportunities. Make sure you keep reading and networking and look into growing areas and consider becoming a Newmarket landlord. While looking there, Barrie landlords suggest you also look at their city as it’s also a great place to invest in 2016!

In the post, it explained many Newmarket Ontario Real Estate Prices (The Real Story) who wanted to sell their rental property felt increasingly concerned about real estate agents “low-balling” them. By low-balling they meant real estate agents are advising people to list their properties at price that is below what they could truly sell for.

Most properties are put up for sale on the MLS system. You can go to MLS.ca and see houses for sale. However, if you are not a real estate agent you can’t see what the properties actually “sold” for.

This means you must rely on the real estate agent to “guide” you, as they have access to the sold prices in your area. Think what a ridiculous system this is in Ontario. In order to set a proper selling price for your property you need to see what the market is.

You can only do this by seeing what other properties sold for, right? But you can’t. At least you can’t do it yourself. You need to rely on the real estate agent to show you the sold prices.

The problem is you don’t know if the real estate agent is showing you the real solds in the area, or at least what solds they may have omitted. In this system you, the Seller, are basically blinded when trying to sell what is probably the biggest financial asset you will ever have.

There was a an important report in the Toronto Star about how the system works in the USA compared to Ontario. In the US, bother buyers and seller can find out sold prices using various websites. Americans can make informed decisions based on their own research. In comparison, Canadians are kept blind by an unfair system that can be abused by real estate agents.

Newmarket Real Estate: Beware of Low-Ball Prices To Sell Your Home

The Newmarket landlords site states they have seen many properties go on the market for prices that are far less than what the sellers could actually sell for.

In order to help sellers make informed choices they listed some recent sold properties (along with the prices).

Newmarket Rental Properties Sold

1. 100 Sheldon Ave. Newmarket, Ontario

This property sold for Sold For $508,000 in October 2015.

2. 88 Newbury Drive, Newmarket Ontario

This property sold for $515,200 in October 2015

Newmarket Detached Homes Sold

22 Old Field Cres. Newmarket Ontario

Sold For $870,000 in November 2015

104 Thatcher Cres. Newmarket Ontario

Sold For $835,000

206 Aspenwood Drive, Newmarket Ontario

This house was listed at $749,000. It sold in a little over a week for…$806,000

Recently there was some excellent advice on the Alberta Landlords Association forum that has must read information for anyone who owns a rental property. It was from an Alberta residential landlord who has a property in Edmonton.

The question was asked by an Edmonton landlord who wanted help trying to find new tenants for his investment property. He had applicants that he wasn’t sure how to handle and wanted to know what experienced and successful would do in his situation.

His complicated situation was he had a couple of people from another province apply to rent from him. The two people were two men who after viewing his rental told him how much they liked it and how much they wanted to move in.

The landlord wrote that he like the two applicants. During his chat with them when they viewed the property he admired their strong vision for a successful future and their willingness to work hard to achieve their goals.

They told him their last landlord in Ontario wasn’t very professional and they had to take him to the Landlord and Tenant Board (the Ontario equivalent of the Alberta Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service) to make repairs to the property they rented. His lack of making any repairs created a bad relationship. Because of the conflict they didn’t provide their last landlords contact information because they know the landlord would lie about them.

The Edmonton landlord wanted to believe the two applicants but wanted to know if there was a way he could find out if they were telling the truth or not.

Tenant Screening

The question is an excellent one. Tenant screening is essential to find and rent to good tenants. This landlord had a good ‘gut feeling’ but no concrete information.

The replies he received were helpful for anyone investing in and managing income properties.

1. Run A Credit Check

The first response to the question was from a fellow Albertan who advised him not to believe a word the applicants said without checking them out. You need to run credit checks to find out who they really are and what their background really is.

Another reply urged him to do his due diligence. This means calling the former landlord and finding out what he says about them. If he is negative that’s okay because you are getting another side of the story from the original source, unfiltered by the potential renters.

If the tenants went to the Landlord and Tenant Board, that’s fine. But what about other landlords they might have had? Was that their first time renting? Do you believe it? It’s up to you to find out.

3. Dodged a Bullet

The thread went on with another experienced landlord telling him he should count his lucky start because he probably dodged a bullet. By this he means these could very well be professional tenants. He said if applicants don’t provide him with everything he needs to know to screen carefully he won’t rent to them. The risk of damages and unpaid rent is just too high.

How Can Alberta Residential Landlords Screen Tenants?

Experienced landlords know the important of tenant screening. Renting to a bad tenant can end up easily costing you thousands of dollars. There are many examples of this in our province.

You can screen tenants with Alberta Landlords Association membership. You get all the documents you need, can network and learn from others, and you can run credit checks for an affordable price. You can become a member for only a one-time registration fee.

Make sure you do what it takes to avoid bad tenants and rent to all the good tenants out there who are also looking to rent from a good landlord.

Since we posted our review of the Alberta Landlords Association last summer we’ve received a number of replies and they opinions in the emails have been strong in support of the ALA and all the services and tools they provide Alberta landlords with for a very low one-time registration fee..

It’s been a pretty interesting last 8 months for landlords in Alberta. Last summer and fall the media was reporting constantly on how life was so easy for landlords and tough for Alberta tenants.

We kept seeing articles like in Metro Calgary where tenants were complaining about rent increases. Even Calgary Mayor Nenshi weighed in saying Calgary landlords were ripping off tenants and only the a representative from the Alberta Landlords Association hit back with real information and took the mayor to task!

Almost overnight the stories changed.

With the price of oil dropping the media finally took notice in December 2014 and suddenly we began reading and seeing stories how the real estate market is dropping that there might even be a real estate bubble that will burst. These news reports have gotten even stronger in 2015 with so many inexperienced media people saying Alberta landlords are facing doom and gloom in 2015 and beyond.

Review of the Alberta Landlords Association

Our review post caught a lot of attention and led to a lot of landlords to look into joining the ALA. We recommended joining because of a lot of factors including:

1. One Time Registration fee

Unlike the traditional groups who charge high annual fees, you can become a member of the Alberta Landlords Association for only a one-time registration fee.

2. Excellent Alberta Rental Kit

All the documents you need and you can download them 24/7.

3. Private Members Forum

Thousands of successful and experienced landlords network and help each other in the Members forum which cannot be seen by the general public.

4. Educating Landlords

There are manuals and CDs to help landlords learn the ropes fast and learn tips and tricks.

5. Premium Credit Checks

As a member you get access to premium Equifax, Garda, and TVS credit checks to make sure you rent to good tenants and avoid the professional tenants out there.

She wrote: I used credit checks from the ALA and the applications and lease and it was all PERFECT!

We also had a landlord who rents out in Calgary send us the following: Joining the Alberta Landlords Association was the best thing I’ve ever done.

Is Membership With the Alberta Landlords Association Worth It?

Based on the messages sent in the answer is a resounding yes!

For only a low one-time registration fee landlords all across Alberta can get great rates for premium credit checks, the amazing ALA rental kit, and other helpful services and tools to help you succeed!

Many people say the credit checks and the Alberta Landlords Rental Kit is awesome.

Ontario landlords know the important of tenant screening. When you screen tenants carefully you can make sure you know who you are renting to and not simply rely on a tenant interview where you might get a lot of misinformation.

And many of the worst tenants like to target small landlords because they know many small landlords are trusting and don’t have a professional tenant screening system and don’t run credit checks on tenants before renting to them.

One glaring example is a tenant called by the Toronto Star as the “Tenant From Hell.” This is a tenant who only wanted to rent from small family residential landlords.

Why? Because she had a great story and strong interview skills that allowed her to rip off numerous small landlords before.

She had a great story and as soon as she moved in the rent would stop and she would contact the by-law department to complain about the rental property she rented.

Albert Landlords

Small residential Alberta landlords are also facing challenges these days from bad tenants. For example, a Calgary landlord rented to a couple based on a good feeling. The good feeling he had was cause when the tenant couple said they were so happy to be near a school for their child to attend.

These tenants moved in and soon started a grow-op. The landlord eventually sold the property at a loss.

BC Landlords

Landlords in British Columbia have often relied on a handshake deal when renting to tenants. Things are changing fast though.

A story of a B.C. landlord who trusted her gut instincts was in the media recently. She really liked the young man and rented to him because she like him. She even invited him for Thanksgiving dinner!

Fast forward a bit and he owes months of rent, allegedly has a grow op and the landlord is going crazy because the system isn’t helping her.

TVS Credit Checks

The good news is Alberta landlords and BC landlords can now start running TVS credit checks on their tenants! TVS credit checks are a great way to screen tenants.

Newmarket Landlords and Investors Want To Sell Their Properties At the Best Price! Make Sure You Research Who Will Sell Your Property To Make Sure You Get the Best Price and Not Get Ripped Off!

There’s an important lesson for Ontario landlords who want to sell their rental properties at the best price.

It’s from a terrific post at the Newmarket landlords site about how to sell your rental property in Newmarket.

It’s important reading for landlords all over Ontario and across the country.

Some experienced investors there are seeing a huge difference in the prices of rental properties when listed by Newmarket real estate agents versus real estate agents who are based in Richmond Hill or Toronto.

Newmarket, Ontario Is Growing

The report from the Newmarket Landlords association website says the town of Newmarket is growing fast. It’s also a microcosm of other fast growing cities and towns.

The town of Newmarket, Ontario is one of the key areas under the Ontario Places To Grow plan to grow fast and become a key place in Ontario.

It said a Richmond Hill Realtor said Newmarket is the ‘next Richmond Hill.’

Why Is This Important?

It’s because Richmond Hill real estate prices have grown fast over the past five years and average prices are far more than Newmarket, Ontario.

It means property prices in Newmarket will rise fast over the next couple of years, especially attractive Newmarket investment property.

High Listing Prices and High Sold Prices With Real Estate Agents From Richmond Hill and Toronto

The article goes on about a clear price difference between rental properties for sale.

Those listed by many Newmarket real estate agents are very low compared to those being sold by Richmond Hill and Toronto real estate agents.

It’s a very noticeable price difference.

Can You Provide Me With Examples?

It can be seen when you look at duplexes in Newmarket.

These are usually semi-detached properties with basement apartments (which have separate kitchens, bathrooms, and entrances).

Looking around one area of the Town which has a lot of these types of rental properties is revealing.

While properties listed by Newmarket Realtors are generally in the high $300,000 those listed by Richmond Hill and Toronto Realtors are often listed well over $400,000!

For example this property sold at a high price…$458,500…and was listed by a Richmond Hill Real Estate agent NOT A LOCAL NEWMARKET REAL ESTATE AGENT!

Newmarket Property Sold For A High Price By a Richmond Hill based Realtor

The Lesson for Ontario Landlords – Be Informed and List With Realtors Who Will Get You the Best Price When You Sell Your Rental Property!

We think it’s because it’s ‘easy’ as they are aggressive and willing to do what it takes to get a quick sale that might lead to you losing thousands of dollars.

Many landlords are also too busy to do the work to find a real estate agent outside of Newmarket who will sell your income property for a hell of a lot more than a Newmarket realtor out for a quick sale and a quick commission.

Landlords Make Sure You Only List With Agents Who Will Give You The Highest Price!

There are lots of real estate agents there who will severely undervalue your property to get a quick sale and a quick commission.

Do your research and list with a high quality Richmond Hill or Toronto real estate agent who will sell your property for a high price…not just a quick commission!

Take a look at what Newmarket Landlords face. Make sure you list with a real estate agent who will sell your rental property at a fair price!

There a number of logical reasons why joining the BC Landlords Association makes sense for landlords who want to succeed and make profits.

1. One Time Registration Fee

It’s only a one time fee.

Unlike other landlord groups in BC whowho charge a $50 registration fee and an annual fee of $150/year PLUS extra fees each year for how many units you have, if you join the BC Landlords Association you pay only one time to get registered and get full access to services.

That’s it. This is because the BC Landlords Association is run by landlords who want to help other small landlords and ‘raise the bar’ for all of us for tenant screening and professionalism.

With over 11,000 posts this is the biggest private landlord member forum in Canada. It’s filled with successful residential landlords. This includes landlords who have even retired and become full time landlords.

4. BC Landlord Rental Kit

Get the BC landlord rental kit with leases and other documents that you can download 24/7.

5. Premium Credit Checks for a low member price

Get amazing credit checks from Equifax and full checks GARDA to help you find great tenants at huge discounts.

I Saw Some Negative Posts at Red Flag Deals. What’s Going ON?

With only a one time fee and amazing services some people aren’t happy. They are usually competitors acting as landlords.

They can’t compete with the one time fee and the terrific credit check services offered by the BC Landlords Association.

Professional tenants who want to scam small landlords are upset because the BC Landlords Association provides small landlords with affordable tools to screen them out.

So what do they do? They become internet trolls and try to attack and smear in the hopes of disparaging people to join.

Red Flag Deals

Last year a British Columbia Landlord asked about joining the BC Landlords Association.

He wrote:

“Hi fellow BCers,

Does anyone have experience with the $99 or $199 One Time Membership Fee through bclandlords.ca/membership? I initially checked out Equifax’s tenant verification – it costs $150 per year with $25 per credit check, and they said if I have a membership through BCLA I get a discount. On first look it looks like the BCLA membership is the better deal.

So is the extra $100 worth it for all the extra stuff? Is the $99 worth it for the basic membership?

I just registered for TVS, which was free, but haven’t used it yet. Any experiences? Also heard about Rentcheck, Backcheck and some other services – anyone have any experience there?”

Dishonest replies

This person was quickly given bad information from an internet troll.

It’s interesting that the troll said the BC landlord forum is “scammy” and is associated with the Ontario Landlords Association forum.

This is because the BC Landlords Association forum is part of a Canada-wide forum where landlords can network and help each other.

And this Canada wide forum has more BC related contributors and posts than any other forums in the province!

There was even a troll who recommended a company that was dropped by the BC Landlords Association because of complaints from small landlords!

For example, vacancy rates are down and there is a large number of people coming to Alberta to find jobs and put down roots. This means these people are looking for properties to rent and want to find good landlords.

According to a Metro News report in some cities such as Edmonton tenants from other provinces who came to Alberta are complaining about the limited number of vacancies and the rules Edmonton landlords have set.

Lots of Good Tenants Out There (and some bad ones!)

Successful Alberta landlords know with so many good tenants out there to choose from and the vacancy rate low, it’s important landlords make sure you rent to them and avoid bad tenants.

Yes, there are bad tenants out there.

These are people who don’t pay the rent. Or they damage your property. They might be even be violent towards you or other tenants.

How Can Alberta Landlords Rent To Good Tenants?

If you want to make sure you rent to good tenants it’s important you become a professional landlord.

Good tenants like to rent from professional landlords who know what they are doing and treat their rental property like a business.

How Can I Become A Professional Landlord?

There are many things you can do to become a professional landlord and inspire good tenants to want to rent from you over other landlords.

1. Professional Rental Documents

This means you use proper documents such as leases and applications.

2. Know the Laws and Rules

Be aware of things such as notice periods, move-in inspection reports, and what to do if tenants pay late.

3. Screen Your Tenants Carefully

This is one of the most important aspects of being a successful landlord.

Make sure you check things such as employment, past landlords, and always run a credit check on tenants.

A tenant credit check will show you the truth about the tenants. As lots of BC landlords have found out this year bad tenants are talented telling great (fake) stories to convince you to rent to them. Once in they stop paying rent!